Kabul [Afghanistan], February 27 (ANI): Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Friday strongly condemned what he described as renewed Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities, saying the Afghan people would respond to any aggression with unity and courage.
In a post on X, he said, “The Pakistani aircraft once again bombed Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. The Afghans will defend their beloved homeland with complete unity in all circumstances and will respond to aggression with courage. Pakistan cannot free itself from the violence and bombings–those problems it has created itself–but must change its own policy and choose the path of good neighborliness, respect, and civilized relations with Afghanistan.”
Karzai accused Islamabad of continuing a pattern of military aggression and urged a change in Pakistan’s approach toward peaceful, respectful relations with Afghanistan. His X post also included a Pashto message reiterating the same condemnation and call for unity.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory operations carried out along the Durand Line on Thursday. The Durand Line, the 2,611 km (1,622 miles) border between the two countries, has never been officially recognised by Afghanistan.
The ministry’s press release said the action began at 8:00 PM on the 9th of Ramadan, corresponding to February 26, and was launched in response to what it described as a prior violation of Afghan territory by Pakistani forces. “A few days ago, the Pakistani military circles, with great audacity, violated Afghan territory, breached our borders, and martyred women and children here,” the statement said.
Afghan forces, the ministry said, targeted Pakistani military posts along the eastern and southeastern Durand Line near the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan. The statement claimed that in these retaliatory operations a total of 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, two bases and 19 posts were captured, and that the four-hour operation destroyed two Pakistani military bases and 19 posts while soldiers fled from four other posts.
The ministry also asserted an enemy tank was destroyed, a large military transport vehicle was captured, and dozens of light and heavy weapons, ammunition, and military supplies were seized. It reported eight Afghan fighters killed and 11 wounded in the operation, and alleged that 13 civilians were injured in a missile attack on a refugee camp in Nangarhar. “In this retaliatory operation, 8 of our Mujahideen achieved the high status of martyrdom, and 11 others were injured,” the ministry added.
In Islamabad’s response, Pakistan launched an operation it named “Ghazab Lil Haq” targeting the Afghan Taliban regime, according to ARY News. Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi was cited as saying 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed and more than 200 wounded. Geo News reported that Pakistani operations destroyed 27 Taliban posts and captured nine.
Pakistani security forces reportedly carried out retaliatory actions across several border areas, including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur districts, destroying multiple Taliban positions, ARY News said. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also posted on X, accusing the Pakistani military of airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, and saying there were no reported casualties.
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